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Obituary for John Gibson

John Mitchell Galbraith Gibson, 81, died peacefully at home in Virginia Beach, VA on November 2, 2017 surrounded by his family. He was the beloved husband of Peggy; loving father of Matthew, Mandy, Margaret and Mary and their spouses; cherished grandfather of Stephen, Ann Marie, Abigail, Alyssa, Lauren, Ryan, David, and Ella; and much-loved Uncle Bud of Johnny, Joey, Jeanne and JoAnne.

John was born on May 13, 1936 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. He was a 1954 graduate of St. John’s Prep. He graduated from Manhattan College in 1959, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. While at Manhattan College, he was a member of the AFROTC Band and President of the Glee Club. It was through the Glee Club that he met his future wife, Peggy Price Johnston, a student at nearby Ladycliff College.

Mr. Gibson was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served at Fort Dix, NJ from 1959 to 1961. He and his wife married in July, 1961 and moved to Red Bank NJ, where they lived until the family moved south to Rock Hill, SC in 1976.

He held many jobs over the years, from a farm hand at a dairy farm, a delivery truck driver for a bakery, to business form salesman with Moore Business Forms, to the Site Administrator at Dystar (formerly Mobay). He retired from Dystar in 1996, after 31 years of service. He and Peggy spent the next 17 years traveling across these great United States as well as overseas. They sold their home in Rock Hill and began to travel and live full-time in their motorhome in 2003. Among their adventures: they volunteered at several California State Parks, such as Big Sur and also with the United States Forest Service at Ocala National Forest in Florida. Highlights of these times were their many visits with their children and grandchildren.

Mr. Gibson was a longtime active member of St. Anne Catholic Church in Rock Hill, SC, where he served on the Board of Religious Education for many years and was also a Lector. He enjoyed spending time with his family on camping trips and tinkering with the engines of his cars, motor homes and lawn mowers. He and the family camped in over 35 states in the USA over the years.

In 2013, he and Peggy sold the motorhome and moved to Virginia Beach, VA to begin their “official” retirement. While in Virginia Beach, they attended the Catholic Church of St. Mark. John’s spare time was spent reading the newspaper, babysitting his grandchildren, working on his computer, and providing ready advice to his children and grandchildren. He will be known best as a good husband, a good father and a good human being.

At Mr. Gibson’s request, his remains have been donated to medical research through the Virginia Anatomical Gift Program.

The family will hold a memorial service at the Catholic Church of St. Mark, 1505 Kempsville Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 on December 30, 2017 at 1:00pm.